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Career overview · SOC 33-3051

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers

Maintain order and protect life and property by enforcing local, tribal, state, or federal laws and ordinances. Perform a combination of the following duties: patrol a specific area; direct traffic; issue traffic summonses; investigate accidents; apprehend and arrest suspects, or serve legal processes of courts. Includes police officers working at educational institutions.

Also called: Deputy · Deputy Sheriff · Law Enforcement Officer · Patrol Deputy · Patrol Officer · Peace Officer

Median pay (national)
$76,290
$47,640–$115,280 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
666,990
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+3.1%
~53,700 openings/yr
Typical entry
High school diploma or equivalent

What the numbers say

Refit analysis ·Pay for police and sheriff's patrol officers shows a broad range: the top 10% earn $115,280 versus $47,640 at the bottom 10% — 2.4x. The median of $76,290 leaves roughly 51% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +3.1% from 2024 to 2034 — about as fast as the 3% all-occupation average. Even so, BLS projects about 53,700 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 52 states with released data, California pays the most for this role (median $115,400, +51% vs the national median), while Puerto Rico sits lowest at $44,860 — a 157% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list.

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Top skills employers ask for

Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.

  • Active Listening
  • Speaking
  • Critical Thinking
  • Active Learning
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Monitoring
  • Writing
  • Learning Strategies
  • Mathematics
  • Science

What they actually do

Core O*NET tasks for this role.

  • Identify, pursue, and arrest suspects and perpetrators of criminal acts.
  • Provide for public safety by maintaining order, responding to emergencies, protecting people and property, enforcing motor vehicle and criminal laws, and promoting good community relations.
  • Record facts to prepare reports that document incidents and activities.
  • Render aid to accident survivors and other persons requiring first aid for physical injuries.
  • Review facts of incidents to determine if criminal act or statute violations were involved.
  • Monitor, note, report, and investigate suspicious persons and situations, safety hazards, and unusual or illegal activity in patrol area.
  • Relay complaint and emergency-request information to appropriate agency dispatchers.
  • Monitor traffic to ensure motorists observe traffic regulations and exhibit safe driving procedures.
  • Photograph or draw diagrams of crime or accident scenes and interview principals and eyewitnesses.
  • Evaluate complaint and emergency-request information to determine response requirements.

Tools & technology

  • Microsoft Visio
  • Microsoft Windows
  • Computer aided composite drawing software
  • Computer aided dispatch software
  • Corel WordPerfect Office Suite
  • Crime mapping software
  • Database software
  • DesignWare 3D EyeWitness
  • ESRI ArcView
  • IBM Lotus 1-2-3
  • Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System IAFIS
  • Law enforcement information databases
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer
  • National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database
  • National Integrated Ballistics Information Network NIBIN
  • SmartDraw Legal

Knowledge areas

  • Public Safety and Security
  • Law and Government
  • English Language
  • Psychology
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Education and Training
  • Telecommunications
  • Administration and Management